Wilde Lake Coaching Legend Doug DuVall Named DC Touchdown Club's Circle of Legends Member

Doug DuVall, who won five football state championships and 308 games at Wilde Lake High School in Howard County, was inducted into the DC Touchdown Club's Circle of Legends last night.

The ceremony was held at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, and honored the region's top players and coaches as well. Also celebrated at the event were NFL Hall of Famer Jim Kelly, who received the organization's Founder's Award, and legendary broadcaster Johnny Holiday, who got the organization's Lifetime Achievement Award.

"The people there were so nice. Holding it at the Congressional Country Club, it was absolutely beautiful," DuVall said. "We got to meet everyone there. All the recipients did such a great job speaking- Jim Kelly, Doc Holliday, one after another the people were as good as it gets."

DuVall is the sixth coach to be inducted into the DC Touchdown Club's Circle of Legends. He's the third member of the club to have coaching ties to MPSSAA schools with Roy Lester (Richard Montgomery) and Al Thomas (Seneca Valley, Damascus, Sherwood) being the others.

DuVall began coaching at Wilde Lake in 1973 at the age of 23. To him, bringing together a bunch of different types of kids for one common goal is what he loved most about coaching.

"You get some good athletes, some not so good. Some with experience, some with none and then you meld them into a team. There was great brotherhood on the teams," DuVall said. "There's guys I coached in the 70's that are still best friends. High school football does that and it clearly marks that as an important time in a person's life."

For DuVall, there was no better place to bring players together from different backgrounds than Wilde Lake.

DuVall recalls a day when the school celebrated the different cultures of its students, and an 64 cultures were present. The school also featured kids from a wide range of economic backgrounds and to DuVall, there was no better place to learn about teenagers.

"You get to meet kids and create a social organization that everyone buys into," DuVall said. "Color of skin, how much money they had had nothing to do with it- you judged people on their character. That was the thing that hooked me on Wilde Lake."

DuVall has remained active in Maryland's football community since retiring from coaching in 2008. He is the president of the Baltimore Touchdown Club, and is involved with the Maryland Football Coaches Association.

DuVall has continued to work in the Maryland football scene because he loves what the game can do for people.

"Everyone involved from teachers, players, parents and cheerleaders, it does so much for a school and community, especially for the kids who strap those helmets on and find out they can do things they previously thought they couldn't," DuVall said. "It's a really special game."

Congratulations to Coach DuVall!